I am very happy to introduce the world to our two little Sea Monkeys, Ashley Renee and Brianna Reese! It's been a long road but we finally made it on Thursday, October 29, 2009! With as much as I struggled these last few weeks holding them in there, I'm so happy that we did. They are still very little but good sized for twins and I was pleased to have take home babies! Any mother of a preemie or twin can understand that phrase. They are both considered preemies based on their birth weight, but they skipped a trip to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and came home with mommy on Saturday, October Halloween 31st! That in itself is truly incredible!
Ashley Renee was 6 lbs. 0 oz. and 20 inches long
Brianna Reese was 5 lbs. 1 oz. and 19 inches long
Both are very strong and healthy! I avoided a c-section and am feeling GREAT! My feet are still swollen but I can breath again, have no heartburn and have actually slept more in the last few days since their birth than I did the last month of pregnancy! I'm bouncing back quickly and remaining as active as I possibly can.
Phill is a TREMENDOUS help! I knew he'd be great, but WOW! Talk about a hands on daddy! From the second they came out, he went running with both in hand to show family and hasn't stopped taking care of them since, which has enabled me to recover much quicker and avoid the overwhelming feeling of stress that not only comes with any newborn, but also with twins. We have had to supplement donor breast milk to keep their weight up until my own breast milk comes in and once I'm done, I literally pass them off to Phill for their bottle feedings. We've already got them on a feeding schedule that is working out very nicely and are settling in to out new family of four!
Below are the girls first round of pictures. Enjoy!
Congratulations!
Its a very exciting time.
They both look adorable.
Posted by: Kelly Johnson | November 02, 2009 at 09:18 AM
You rock girlfriend!!! I am so impressed that you have already updated your blog and put a slideshow on here-- wow! Your girls are absolutely beautiful. What a lucky mama (and daddy)! They look very healthy and a good size - awesome! It is so fun to see how they look after all those months of wondering. I love their hair and little red lips. Precious. And congrats on the natural delivery too by the way!!!
Let me know if you need anything!
ps- I noticed the monkeys sheets & blankets in one pic too :) Too cute
Posted by: Kristin | November 02, 2009 at 12:55 PM